Breaking the Circle
by charlotte.natalie
Summary: A rape case forces Olivia to face one of her greatest fears.
1. Chapter 1

A.N. Please read and review. I want to know if I should keep going….and I just love reading reviews.

Happy Valentine's Day

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No matter how she looked at it, Allison Morris was screwed. She sat in her car, seething, as she tried to drive it out of the snow bank again. She had thought for sure that she had cleared enough snow away to move, but no matter what gear she shifted into, her wheels still spun.

"Shit!!!!" she bellowed, pounding her fist into the steering wheel, successfully breaking her New Year's resolution and hurting her fist at the same time. "Of all the times you could have gotten stuck, you choose to do it on a Friday night when I'm all alone. Nice!!!" she scolded her car.

After a few more bad words and angry thoughts, Allison decided that she might as well try again. There wasn't anything in the model home she worked at that would help her and all of the crew's construction tools were locked away. For the third time that night, she sighed, popped the trunk of her Volvo S80, and pulled out her shovel.

As she dug around the front passenger wheel of her car, she sensed someone standing behind her. Holding on to the shovel handle tightly, she slowly turned around and saw the familiar Oakwood Construction logo sewn into a sweatshirt. As she looked further up, she saw the usual winter uniform of an Oakwood Construction employee: heavy work boots, well fitting, water resistant pants, an Oakwood Construction hoodie, a heavy vest, and a ski mask.

Although the voice was slightly muffled by the ski mask, Allison heard him when he addressed her. "Madam," he said politely. "I came back to get my thermos and noticed that you're stuck. Can I help?"

Allison's brain raced to catch up with her as she opened her mouth to respond. "Allison," her mind pleaded, "You're not sure you know him. You don't recognize him. Please don't be an…."

"Sure, I'd really appreciate that," she responded and stepped away. The man bent down and began digging in the spot Allison had been working at. "See, brain," she said to herself. "He's a good guy who's willing to help me…"

Allison was so lost in her own thoughts that she didn't notice the shovel heading toward her head until it was too late. Her startled screams went unheard in the empty development as she was shoved into her own car, the mystery man quickly coming in quickly behind her.

Randy and Monica's Apartment

"Beep," bellowed the microwave, announcing that the popcorn was done. Randy Adams quickly opened the door and took out the popcorn bag, pouring it into a bowl.

"Hey sweetheart," his fiancé Monica shouted from the living room, "Which do you want to watch first: House or The Family Guy?"

"The Family Guy," he responded, looking around inside the fridge for a bottled water for her and a beer for himself. Successful, he walked out of the kitchen and into the living room of their apartment, smiling at Monica's attempts to make the TIVO work. Chuckling, he tapped her on the shoulder and said, "Mon, let me see the remote. You get started on this popcorn. We have to expose this child to the finer things in life: The Family Guy, popcorn….you get the idea," he said, smiling as he rubbed his fiancé's pregnant belly and starting last week's Family Guy episode.

"Whatever would you do without a man around, my love?" He teased, bending over to kiss her.

Monica gave him an amused smile as she responded, "Well, let's see, without a man, I wouldn't be pregnant, I wouldn't have to go look at hundreds and hundreds of wedding gowns, I wouldn't have to choose between all my friends to get bridesmaids…" Randy gave her a mock-sadness face. Tired of teasing him, she said tenderly, "And, I also wouldn't be enjoying the best three years of my life."

Randy paused the TIVO and brought Monica closer to him. "That's more what I wanted to hear," he murmured with a smile, bending over to kiss her.

All of the sudden, their phone rang, causing them to jump up in surprise. Sharing the same annoyed look, they both reached over to get the phone. Randy got to it first, "Hello?"

He listened intently and then handed the phone to Monica. "It's for you Mon."

"Who is it?"

Randy sighed, "NYPD."

Willow Hills

Building Oakwood Construction hadn't been an easy task for Warren Licota, no pun intended. First, he had to find employees he could depend on. Then, he had to form alliances with various companies so that he could continue to get supplies and assistance. The biggest struggle of all had been competing with big name national construction companies and getting some business.

After five years of profit and recognition due to be featured on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Warren had believed that his company's biggest problems were behind him. The most he thought he would have to deal with ever again would be stupid employees or a shortage in building materials.

Never in his wildest dreams had he thought he'd have to deal with this.

As he threw his F-250 pickup truck into park and climbed out, he quickly spotted his top foreman, Monica Alexson slowly easing her pregnant belly out from behind the wheel of her Volkswagen Touareg. The guys and Warren had really teased her when she traded her Chevy Silverado in for that Volkswagen; after all, it wasn't a "construction car". Tonight, though, even the thought of that couldn't make him smile. He came to her door and opened it a little wider to give Monica more room to move. Monica noticed and gave him a sad smile. "Thanks, Warren," she said quietly.

"You're welcome, Mon," he said, giving her a sad smile back. He hadn't expected having to come back here until the next morning; he had actually been out to dinner with his wife when he got the phone call. He dropped his wife off at their house and sped back to the site. Looking at Monica's damp hair and sweat pants, he realized that she had also been settled in for the night with her fiancé, Randy. He sighed quietly and decided to try to make conversation with his usually very talkative foreman. "So, Mon," he said, as they quickly walked over toward two people that police officers were calling detectives, "Did you get any information from those detectives?"

Monica looked at him, and for the first time ever, Warren saw fear in the young woman's eyes. "No, they didn't," she whispered, "And, I'm almost afraid to find out."

Warren understood her honesty and nodded at her, "So am I, Mon, so am I."

They tightly squeezed each other's hands and let go as they approached Detectives Elliot

Stabler and Olivia Benson.

"Detectives?" a male voice called out. Elliot and Olivia quickly turned around and noticed a middle aged man walking with a young woman walking toward them. "I'm Warren Licota and this is my foreman for this site, Monica Alexson. What happened?"

One of the uniformed officers called for Olivia, so Elliot took them off to the side. "Is Allison Morris the real estate agent your company hired to show off your model home at this site?"

Warren quickly pulled out his overstuffed binder of all things related to Willow Hills, the development they were standing at. "Yes," he confirmed, pulling out his copy of their contract.

Elliot nodded solemnly. "Well, according to Allison, her car was stuck in the snow when someone in a Oakwood Construction sweatshirt approached and offered to help her. However, instead of helping her, he threw her into the backseat of her car and assaulted her. Once he was done, he got into his car and sped away. That's when Allison called 911."

Warren could hear Monica's sharp gasp and her quiet tears; he was also struggling to keep his emotions in check. "Was she…raped?" he asked quietly, as Monica stood sniffling by his side.

"We're not sure," Elliot responded. "Allison's been pretty hysterical since we've arrived. We haven't really got much information out of her yet. She has agreed to a rape kit, though, so hopefully we'll be able to get some DNA."

"Was it someone from the construction site?" Monica said, willing herself not to start crying again. Warren put a supportive hand on her back.

"Allison said that all she knew was that her attacker had an Oakwood Construction sweatshirt on. As much as it could have been one of your employees, it could have also been anyone else with access to an Oakwood Construction hoodie," explained Elliot.

Detective Olivia Benson returned to their circle and tapped Elliot on the shoulder. "Hey Elliot, I'm going to the hospital with her."

Elliot nodded and said, "I'll stay here and wrap this up. As soon as the crime scene is secured and Ms. Morris's car is towed, I'll be there. Hour, maybe hour and a half tops."

Olivia nodded and began walking over to the ambulance. Elliot turned back to the two people in front of him. "I think that's all we need for right now. Why don't you two go ahead and leave. Will you both be here in the morning?" Monica and Warren nodded vigorously.

"Alright, well, hopefully by then we'll know something and will be able to start our investigation. It was very nice to meet you both, except I wish it was under different circumstances," Elliot said, shaking their hands and giving them each a business card.

"Likewise," Monica responded, as she and Warren turned to walk away.

The walk back to their cars was pretty quiet, as Monica and Warren were both lost in their own thoughts. As they reached Monica's Touareg and Warren's F-250, Monica looked up at him and said, "What's the first thing you're going to do when you get home?"

"Lock the door behind me and hug Sarah until she says it hurts. What about you, Mon?"

"Same thing," she whispered. "To a tee."


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Alright, kids, here's Chapter 2. I was sorta saddened that Chapter 1 didn't get reviewed. I really enjoy getting reviews and opinions. Sometimes, they help give me new ideas.

As usual, please read and review.

6:00am, Randy and Monica's Apartment

The sound of the shower woke Randy from a rather deep sleep. Habitually, he took the pillow out from under his head and put it over his eyes; he and Monica never woke up before 10am on the weekends and the sudden sun coming through the blinds of their bedroom door wall brought on both and instant bad mood and temporary blindness. He was startled, however, when he opened his eyes and found himself in darkness, the only light being the headlights of a car in the complex.

In his sleepy mind, Randy slowly began putting things together. His first realization: Monica wasn't beside him in bed. Secondly, it was 6:15 on a Saturday morning. Before another realization could take place, Randy realized that he had to pee. Badly. He quickly threw off the comforter and wandered to the bathroom, where Monica was applying lotion to her naked body. He pressed a kiss into the side of her head, lifted up the toilet seat, and took care of business. Monica, finished with her lotion, pressed herself against his back and kissed his shoulder. "Morning sweetheart," she mumbled exhaustion evident in her voice.

Randy flushed the toilet and turned to her. "Morning baby and baby," he said, gently kissing the top of her head and rubbing her pregnant belly. "What are you two doing up so early?"

Monica broke out of her fiancé's grip and began to run a comb through her wet hair. "You're not gonna believe it…"

"Try me," he said, taking a seat on their bed as Monica bent over to plug in her blow-dryer.

"Can I tell you when my hair is dry?"

"Sure, Mon. " Randy fell back into bed and was sound asleep again in minutes, lulled to sleep by Monica's hairdryer and morning noises.

45 minutes later

"Sweetheart. Sweetheart?" Monica bent over her fiancé, trying to wake him. All he did was grunt and roll over, though. Monica stood there a second longer, staring at the man she loved. He would be furious with her that she hadn't told him what happened. He would beg her not to go, and she would probably give in to it after awhile. On the other hand, though, she needed to be there. She needed to talk with Allison and find out if she would need to find a new agent to show the houses. She needed to talk to the detectives and see if she could give them any help or if they needed anything from her. She needed to continue being Warren's right-hand girl; he never left her side when the going got tough and she had no excuse to treat him that way.

Monica sighed, knowing the decision had already been made for her. She planted a kissed into the back of Randy's head and made sure that the clock radio was set for 10:30am. She gathered up the pile of her work clothes and a suit (in case she had to show a house), and closed the bedroom door behind her. She picked up her keys and bag, closing the front door as quietly as she could.

Mercy Hospital, 7:30am

Detectives Olivia Benson and Elliot Stabler were never quite themselves until after their first cup of coffee. Even if they had been up for the entire night working a case or interrogating a perp, around 7:30 they needed their second wind. A good cup of coffee usually did it.

They had been nursing large regulars outside of the hospital, trying to use the coffee and the cold air to wake themselves up when they heard a voice calling their names. They turned to see a young woman, about 24, walking toward them.

"Detective Stabler? Detective Benson?"

"I'm Detective Stabler. This is Detective Benson," Elliot responded, indicating to himself and Olivia. The woman quickly caught up with them, put her coffee mug in her left hand, and extended her right one forward.

"I'm Monica Alexson, the foreman for Willow Hills. We met last night," Monica said, trying to jog their memories.

"Oh, right. Good morning, Monica. Olivia Benson, meet Monica Alexson. She works at the crime scene."

Olivia smiled. "I know who she is. The last time I saw you, wow, you were only ten or eleven."

Monica's jaw dropped, "Oh my God, Miss. Olivia. Wow, I thought I'd never see you again!"

The two women laughed and immediately hugged each other tightly. Elliot stood off to the side, confused. "Olivia, uh, what's going on?"

"Elliot, I used to babysit her. We lived in the same apartment building. Monica, how's your mom doing? I still remember how she would have me to dinner if my mom was drunk."

Monica's eyes filled with tears. "Mom died, Olivia. Six years ago."

Olivia gasped, "I'm so sorry, Mon."

"It's alright. Olivia, I would love to catch up with you and introduce you to my fiancé. Would you like to have dinner sometime? You could bring Elliot." Monica said with a sneaky smile.

Olivia chuckled, "I'd love to Monica."

Monica and Olivia quickly became all business again. "So, has the rape kit come back yet? Is Allison going to be alright?" Monica asked.

"Since you aren't her next of kin, we really can't share those results with you," Elliot explained. Monica nodded. "However, we can say that she'll still be in the hospital for today, at least. She was really beat up in addition to being raped."

Monica nodded, with a sad smile on her face. "Is she up to visitors?"

"No, she asked us to not let visitors in. She's embarrassed and scared," Olivia responded.

Monica nodded. "Well, Warren's probably already ahead of me on the flower situation. Thanks a lot, guys. Warren and I will be at Willow Hills today if you need us." She shook hands with Elliot and Olivia once more and began walking back to her car.

Elliot turned to Olivia, incredulous. "You babysat as a teenager? Seriously????"

"Stranger things have happened, El. Stranger things have happened."

"I may spend the rest of my life trying to name one."

75892 Willow Hill, 11:30am

Warren had called all the agents he knew, many of them twice. No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't track down an agent who could show the model house today. With a sigh, he shut his cell phone and wandered out to the kitchen, where Monica sat, perched on a stool at the counter. "Really? Alright, thank you. Hey, while I've got you on the line, do you know of anyone who could tomorrow? Seriously? Awesome, that's great. Would you mind passing on my e-mail address? Sure, it's Wow, thanks, you're awesome! Bye."

Monica looked up at Warren with a smile. "We may have someone for tomorrow. Cassie Williams said she'd pass on my e-mail address."

"What about today though? I got nothing."

Monica sighed. "Me neither. And, today we actually have a few appointments. I almost called Matthew over at Madison Valley, but I checked the appointment book for that site, and he's booked this afternoon too. Warren, what should we do?"

Warren was thoughtful for a minute. "Did you bring a nice suit with you?"

"Yep, it's out in the Volks."

"Perfect. Go out and get it. You're going to be the real estate agent today."

Monica's jaw dropped. Although she had planned ahead and brought a suit with her, she hadn't expected that she would use it. "Warren, are you positive you don't want to do it? It's your company, after all."

"Look at the two us. Who do you think people would believe is the real estate agent?"

Monica laughed; Warren had a good point. They walked out the front door of the house and toward Monica's Touareg. "What are you going to do with yourself today, Warren?"

"Well, isn't it obvious?" Warren responded, reaching into the cab of the F-250. "I'm gonna find out if this construction crew is as oblivious as you claim."

The thought of that made Monica smile. "You'll need me in a half hour," she mumbled as she made a grab for her high heels.

"What was that?"

"Nothing, never mind," Monica said with a giggle.

75892 Willow Hill, 2:30pm

"I think this house would be perfect for your growing family, Mr. and Mrs. Patterson," Monica said with a smile. "There's plenty of room for your children and belongings and you could do a ton of things with the basement."

Adam Patterson returned her smile. "Do you have any floor plans we could take with us?"

"Sure," said Monica, putting together a packet of information. "We also have another site with other models available on it, located at Pike and Randoplh, if you're interested."

Briana Patterson nodded. "Thanks, Monica. We really appreciate it."

"No problem. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to call."

The Pattersons left the house and Monica sat down at the desk. Over the past two and a half hours, Monica had realized that she'd much rather be a foreman then an agent, any day of the week. She kicked off the high heels her feet were unaccustomed to, sat Indian-style in the office chair, and logged on to check her e-mail. She had one new e-mail, from Cassie Williams. The news was unfortunate, though, and Monica began to mentally prepare herself for having to show a house again. Her cell phone rang and Monica, raced to it, grateful for the distraction. "Hello."

She listened for a few minutes, and then said, "Alright, I'll see you in 10. Yep, thanks for calling. Uh-huh. Bye."

As soon as she hung up, she hit speed dial #2. "Warren, can you come in the house for a few minutes? The detectives have a few questions for us."

15 minutes later

"The results from the rape kit are back," Elliot began.

Monica and Warren exchanged a look, struggling to decide if they should be happy or maintain their serious expressions. Olivia picked up on this and said, "It's mixed news, guys. Do you want the good news or bad new first?"

"Good news."

"Okay, the good news is, we were able to get some DNA from the rape kit. When we ran it in the system, we came back with a match."

"So, this means you can catch the person, right," Warren said, sounding genuinely pleased.

"Yes, but….." The sound of Olivia's ring tone cut Elliot off.

Hehe, cliffie.


	3. Chapter 3

AN: My significant other, Chris, was amazed at what one small cliffie could do. Then, he made me come up with another chapter, as it was even driving him crazy. So, here's Chapter 3, kids. Enjoy and don't forget to read and review.

Catie

Olivia quickly excused herself and walked into the living room with Elliot close behind. "Benson," she answered.

"John, hang on just a minute, I'm going to turn the volume up on my phone. Elliot's standing right next to me." Olivia's fingertips flew across the keypad and within seconds, John Munch's voice became audible to the detectives.

"Okay, John. Shoot," Olivia said quietly, trying to prevent their conversation from drifting into the study where Monica and Warren were nervously waiting.

"Guys, after being on the force this long, I thought I had hit the point where nothing would surprise me anymore, but…." John trailed off.

"But, what???" asked Olivia and Elliot in unison.

"But, you guys may want to sit down."

30 minutes later

"Warren, the suspense is killing me."

"Me too, Mon."

"What on God's green earth could the bad news possibly be? I mean, Allison could be pregnant. Oh, God, she could be dead. Her rapist could have been in jail already, making it impossible to rape her. It could have been someone she knows. It could have been a cop or a FBI agent or anyone with a DNA sample in the system…." Monica trailed off as she sat back down in her chair. Warren, resting on top of the desk, looked down at her strangely. "Monica, have you considered everything?"

"More than likely, why?"

"It's just not like you, Mon. You're usually level-headed, that's one of the reasons why I like you so much. But, right now, I mean, look at you. You're talking about possibilities that are barely possible like they're exactly what happened."

Monica looked down sheepishly; Warren was right. "Sorry, Warren," she said quietly. "I guess I just let my imagination run away with me."

Warren nodded and gave her a fatherly smile. "It's okay, Moni-…" He trailed off as Elliot and Olivia walked back into the study, serious expressions etched into their faces.

"I think our bad news just went from bad to worse," Monica commented softly. Warren could do nothing but agree with her.

10 minutes later

"So wait…let me make sure I've got this straight…you found more than one semen sample on Allison's body."

Olivia and Elliot nodded sadly.

"But…but, Allison said that one person raped her, didn't she?" Monica asked, willing herself not to cry for the second time in eighteen hours.

"Right, Monica," Elliot confirmed.

Warren strict posture faltered and Monica's face fell into her hands, "Oh God. This is so messed up."

Randy and Monica's apartment, 6:30pm

Monica wouldn't consider herself bored. If she was very honest with herself, she wouldn't say she was tired either.

For the first time since her mother's death, Monica was scared. She hated that feeling with a passion.

Just as she was beginning to become genuinely worried about making a hole in the carpet from pacing, she heard keys in the front door. When the door opened and Monica saw Randy in the doorway, she ran to him and jumped into his arms, tears streaming down her face. Randy, startled, quickly regained his balance and rubbed her back, trying to take his coat off without putting her down. When he realized it would be impossible to do both, he walked down the hallway toward their bedroom and laid her down on their bed. After taking off his coat and tossing it to the ground, Randy joined her on the bed and pulled her close. "Monica," he murmured. "Tell me everything."

Randy and Monica's Apartment, 9:45pm

Randy collapsed on the couch in the living room. He couldn't remember the last time he had ever been so tired and he hadn't even done very much today. Monica's recount of the accident and the news she and Warren had received that afternoon kept running through his head and the impact had been just as strong as when it had come from her. He needed someone to talk to. As he looked through the contacts in his cell phone, no one in particular caught his eye. Then, it hit him. He knew exactly who to call. He dialed the number and waited for the person on the other end to answer.

"Hello," a voice answered.

"Mrs. Licota, it's Randy Adams, Monica's fiancé," Randy said.

"Randy, honey, I'm so glad you called and for the love of God, call me Sarah! I've been calling Monica's cell phone, but have been getting no answer," Sarah Licota answered. The older Italian woman loved Monica and Randy like they were her own, and hearing about the incident at Willow Hills had threw her motherly instincts into full swing.

"I know, her phone was off, a rare occurrence, let me tell you!" They both chuckled, but the conversation quickly became serious again. "Did Warren tell you what happened?" Randy asked.

"Yeah, he did. Did Monica?" Sarah asked, knowing that Monica had a tendency to keep really bad news to herself.

"I got the gist of it through her tears. God, Mrs. Li- I mean Sarah, I don't know what to do. She wasn't even very close to Allison, but she's acting like it's all her fault. It's driving me crazy!"

"Warren's doing that too. I figure that the most we can do is accept that this is bothering them and be there for them when they want to talk about it."

Randy nodded. It had been exactly what he was thinking; he just needed someone to confirm his solution. "Okay, Sarah, thanks. I'm gonna let you go and go back to bed."

"That's my plan too, sweetheart. Good night Randy. Call me if you need me."

"I will. Good night, Sarah."

Mercy Hospital, 10:15am

If Allison Morris could have, she would have been banging her head into the wall. How could she have been so stupid?!? She had seen plenty of cheesy Lifetime movies and news reports to know that she shouldn't have been alone by herself so late at night. She knew that vacuuming the first floor of the model home could have waited until Saturday morning. The foreman, Monica Alexson, had offered to stay with her and Allison had told she would be alright, to go home. She hadn't been able to move her car at her lunch break, why hadn't she asked some of the guys to help her then. Why hadn't she just locked herself in the model home again and called Monica or Warren? Allison felt like an idiot; her rape had been an accident, but damnit, it was also pretty preventable.

Frustrated, Allison pushed her tasteless, rubbery hospital breakfast away. Just then, detectives Stabler and Benson walked into her room. Olivia took a seat at the chair on the side of her bed while Elliot stood behind his partner, leaning against a wall. Olivia smiled at her and broke the ice. "Good morning, Allison," she said pleasantly.

Allison smiled back at her and Elliot. "Good morning, detectives. I'm sorry I missed you yesterday. It turns out that my health insurance covers psychological care, so I had an initial consultation with the psychologist on call. He gave me the names of a few different psychologists in the area. He's a very nice man, you know.

Olivia nodded approvingly as Elliot responded. "Yep, we know Dr. Michaelson. Many of the victims we've helped have talked to him.

The pause in conversation was nearly too much for Allison to handle. "So, detectives, have you found anything out concerning my rape?" She asked, trying to be as matter-of-fact as possible.

The look Olivia and Elliot exchanged was not lost on Allison. She groaned inwardly, knowing what the next question would be. She was right. "Allison, have you had multiple sexual partners?" Olivia asked her quietly.

Although Allison was a grown woman in her forties, the question made her feel like she was sixteen again. "Yes," she responded coolly.

"Allison…," Elliot began before Allison cut him off.

"No, don't you dare lecture me on my sexual habits, detective! Just because you may be in a stable relationship with someone doesn't mean everyone else in the world is! No, don't interrupt me; I'm going to say this! Do you know when the first time I had sex was? No, you don't? Well, let me tell you, it was three months ago! I'm not a little girl who doesn't realize the importance of the decision to have sex, okay? I'm a forty-seven year old whose time is running out!!!!" Allison fell back against her pillows, exhausted. Olivia and Elliot tried to not look too embarrassed and shocked.

Olivia was the first of the three to regain her composure. "Actually, Allison, we were going to ask you for the names and contact information of your previous sexual partners. We'd like to start narrowing down possible perps and DNA is the easiest way to begin."

Allison, embarrassed, scribbled down the information as quickly as she possibly could.

The 1-6, 8:30pm, Monday night

Fin, Munch, Olivia, and Elliot were exhausted. All of the DNA samples had come back; none of them had matched what had been found on Allison's body.

"This is ridiculous," Fin muttered. "I figured we'd be able to clear everyone but that bastard Josh Kansan.". Fin and Munch had picked him up earlier that day during his community service. Unfortunately, their excitement had been short-lived, as they continued to run into walls all afternoon.

"I'm gonna make a new pot of coffee," Munch said, walking toward the counter where the coffee pot was.

"NO!" The other three detectives shouted in unsion. John smirked a little as he walked back to his desk, holding his hands above his head and mock-surrender. "So, it's true. I really am only around here for my crime-solving skills."

Fin slumped at his desk. "I'm so tired, guys. Wanna just throw in the towel and come back to this tomorrow?"

Everyone shifted a little uncomfortably; they normally worked their cases until they were solved, no matter what it took. This case, however, had thoroughly exhausted them, both physically and mentally. Going home and going to bed seemed like the logical thing to do, but, at the same time, nobody really wanted to go home. They gazed thoughtfully into space for a minute, before Elliot piped up. "I have an idea guys."

Everyone turned to him in anticipation. "Why don't we sleep up in the crib tonight? That way, we can all get some sleep, but we'll all still be here."

The rest of his co-workers slowly began to nod. "Sounds like a plan, Elliot," Olivia said from her desk.

2 hours later

The 1-6 was quiet. Detectives Fin, Much, Benson, and Stabler were sound asleep in the cribs. The front desk receptionist, Hanna, was quietly doing a crossword puzzle as she listened to the soft rock station. All of the sudden, the door to the crib slammed shut and four pairs of shoes ran down the stairs. Hanna stood up, startled. She walked up to Fin. "Fin, what's going on?"

Fin gave her a small smile. "Don't worry, baby girl. We may have cracked this case wide open."


	4. Chapter 4

AN: So, honestly, I really didn't think I gave you guys a serious cliffie next time. Apparently, Chris feels otherwise.

Here's Chapter 4, kids. Enjoy and please read and review.

Catie

Tuesday, 7:30am

Don Cragen was in an unusually positive mood as he walked to the 1-6. He didn't think he constantly was in a bad mood; he just knew that his position in the NYPD took both a physical and emotional toll on him. As he got older, he knew the pressures from work had begun to affect physically; those dark circles under his eyes wouldn't go away with a good night's sleep, no matter how hard he tried.

Today, though, Don Cragen felt well, elated actually. He had woken up to a text message at midnight, which had made his day, week, month, and year all at once. "Cap-we cracked it. Will tell more in morning. Munch".

That morning, Don had embraced the world, smelled the roses, and treated himself to $5.00 cup of coffee just because he felt good. His detectives had seen the worst of the worst, but weren't bitter to each other. They were still four very talented and dedicated detectives. They didn't require any hand-holding; they were more than able to do things on their own. All they required, really, was the occasional warrant and reality check, both of which he was able to provide.

Don threw back the rest of his coffee and threw away the Styrofoam mug as he crossed the street and headed up the stairs to the 1-6. As long as John hadn't touched the coffee maker, today was going to be a good day.

Inside the 1-6

Olivia sat at her desk, her head in her hands. Her coffee was slowly getting cold, but she didn't really care. Elliot sat across from her, alternating between staring out into space and scribbling on a legal pad. John leaned against a table, staring out the window. Fin was taking a quick shower upstairs. None of the detectives could believe it. Another dead end in the Allison Morris case.

Fin had been apologizing profusely to everyone about getting them up and then disappointing them. Although everyone could have really made use of an extra few hours sleep, any idea was a good one and they all knew they would have done the same thing, had they been hit with inspiration.

In their sulky silence, they probably wouldn't have noticed Cragen had he not been humming. The noise invasion startled Olivia first, who looked up, surprised. "Captain, why the humming?"

"Well, why not Liv? The weather has finally broken, I got a good night sleep last night, we have a break on the Allison Mor-…we no longer have a lead, do we?"

Olivia shook her head sadly. "We thought we had cracked it wide open…but the DNA evidence didn't add up."

"Well, what's your new tactic?"

"We've all sorta been thinking about it, but we haven't really created a new tactic because Fin's been taking a shower," Elliot said, putting down his pen.

Don nodded and walked into his office. "Let me know if you need anything." His detectives nodded, and he walked over to get himself a cup of coffee. One sip and he knew exactly who made it.

So much for a good day.

Monica's Touareg, 12:30pm

"Allison, I'm so glad you're doing better," Monica said, as she backed her car out of a parking spot. Allison gave her a weak nod, but kept her eyes glued to the road.

"Warren and I are so happy you're coming back. You would not believe all the trouble we had trying to find a replacement for you. I even had to play real estate agent…." Monica trailed off a little. She had never been very close with Allison, but she had picked up on the subtle hints that she was just not up for conversation. Monica had never really enjoyed uneasy silences, but she had also never known anyone who had been raped before. Using her better judgment, Monica quieted down. The rest of the ride to Allison's house was silent.

Allison's House, 10:30pm

For most of the weekend, Allison had thought about how wonderful going home would be. She could cook a real meal for herself, instead of choking down awful hospital food. She would be back in her own bed, instead of the hospital bed that had rubbed her pressure points the wrong way. She would be able be able to take a really good shower, with her own strawberry scented shower gel and her favorite shampoo and conditioner, instead of having to use the generic, mass-produced crap Mercy Hospital had given her. She could wear actual pjs, instead of the hospital gowns that barely covered anything. She would even be able to shave her legs, something that she had been dying to do since about Thursday afternoon.

Now she was full, clean, warm, and settled in bed. She had checked her house alarm twice and walked around her house at least a half a dozen times to make sure no one could get in. She was thoroughly exhausted and had to be at work early the next day. But, she just couldn't fall asleep. Something had been weighing on her mind since her attack. She desperately wanted to tell someone, but she couldn't even bring herself to tell Dr. Michaelson about it. But, someone had to know. Someone had to stop this.

Allison propped herself up in bed with her cell phone and began flipping through her directory, trying to find the best person to call. There was no one she could call. Everyone that she thought of was already scared or nervous for her and she didn't want to bother anyone more than she already had with her rape. She was so desperate that even talking to a clerk at the pizza delivery place would be alright with her. When she called, though, they had already closed for the night. So had the Chinese takeout place.

As she was preparing for a night without sleep, she suddenly had an idea. She quickly crawled out of bed and got her purse off the dresser. She turned on a lamp and dumped the contents of her purse onto the bed. Seeing what she needed, she plucked a business card out of the pile and dialed the number.

"Stabler."

"Detective Stabler, this is Allison Morris."

"Ms. Morris, what can I do for you?"

"Actually, I need to talk to you. And Detective Benson. It's about my case."

The 1-6, 1:00am

"And, just, I thought he was such a good guy," Allison said, talking more to the table then the detectives sitting across from her. "He was so charming and charismatic. He made me feel beautiful when I felt ugly, he spoiled me with flowers and little trinkets…and then…"

"And then, what?" Elliot pressed. Allison sucked in a deep breath and continued.

"And then, his sweetness melted away. He started being mean where he normally would have been kind and understanding. When he…when he…when he hit me, it was the last straw. I ended it," Allison whispered, embarrassed about sharing her secret. Olivia reached over and tapped her hand.

"Allison, when a victim begins talking about what happened to them, positive progress can begin. This is really good for you."

"No, no, it's really not," Allison responded.

"Why do you say that?" Elliot asked.

"Because I told someone…and look what happened to me! I was raped, god damnit! I was slowly gang raped and it's all because I told someone about him hitting me. I made a horrible mistake and I wish I never had said anything!" Allison put her head on the table and wept, all sorts of pain and anguish coming out of her eyes in a liquid form. Elliot ran to get her a tissue box. She smiled at him gratefully and blew his nose. Olivia regained eye contact with her.

"Allison, you tell us what happened, and we can make sure that the people who did this to you will never hurt you or anyone else again," Olivia said, in a quiet level voice.

Allison looked at her carefully, scrutinizing her. "Detective Benson, I told a cop…and I was raped. What reason do I have to ever trust a cop with this again?"

Olivia was stumped; Allison had a point. Elliot cut in, in a kind voice he normally reserved for victims, his children, and Olivia. "Allison, we're sorry the cops you told before didn't believe you or help you. Please let us correct this wrong. That way, you can live in peace and, although most of the women in this country may not know it, you will have saved millions of people from the hell you lived through."

Allison considered this. "But, will I get in trouble for not telling you guys about this earlier?"

"I'm sure you could strike a deal with the ADA, like, say no charges will be filed if you testify," Elliot offered.

"Is that a pretty common deal?"

"In this case, I think it would the only thing our ADA would possibly consider."

Allison took a deep breath and looked across the table at the two detectives. They were so warm and friendly; Allison almost wanted to tell them her whole life story, without abandon. "Alright, let's do this before I lose my nerve."

Olivia and Elliot exchanged a small smile. Olivia made eye contact with Allison as Elliot prepared to take notes. "Alright, Allison. Start at the very beginning."


End file.
